Deep-well-enlarging and cistern-making machine



C. S. CORRIGAN.

DEEP WELL ENLARGING AND CISTERN MAKING MACHINE.

- APPLICATION FILED SEPTA, 1920.

, 1,406,349 Patented Feb. 14,1922.

C/yde .5 [arr/Z a IN VEN TOR.

UNITED STATES 0mm: 5. oomuean, or Nonwoon, omo.

DEEP-WELL-ENLARGING AND CISTERN-MAKING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Application filed September 4, 1920. -8eria1No.408,118.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat I, CLYDE S. CORRIGAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Norwood, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, haveinvented a new and useful Deep-Well-Enlarging and Cistern-Makmg Machine,of which the following is a spoolfication.

At present it is the custom to pump oil wells day and night to keep thehole free of oil so more oil can accumulate, a cistern made in asuitable formation below the oil bearing strata would allow oil toaccumulate continuously for weeks or months, preserve the gasolinecontent and protect 1t from fire until pumped and shipped.

Many water wells give out in dry seasons, a reservoir tank made inimpervious strata just below the water bearing strata, would collect andpreserve a water supply free from evaporation or contamination.

It is known that more heat than required to roduce steam would be foundin wells of suiiioient depth but the small radiating surface in thewalls'of a well would not produce steam in paying quantities; but largerooms or boilers at the bottom of such wells would radiate sufficientheat to produce and superheat all the steam that could be used.

To enlarge the footings of foundation piles and piers without sinking acaisson would save time and expense.

In mine prospectingby core wells, itis often necessary to sink a numberof wells to determine the width of veins, while to enlarge one well inthe pay strata would give the required data as well as a large quantityof the ore so that a correct analysis of its value could be made, iftheore lay at great depths where the heat was too great for men to work,the ore could be mined out by sinking a number of wells and enlargingthem in the pay vein. With these and other objects in view I haveinvented a machine that may be lowered into deep wells in the earth,with suitable forms of earth sawing or kerf cutting elements pivotally.attached thereto. 1 have also provided power means in the machine bywhich an operator at the surface may cause said kerf cutting elements tooperate while swinging from said pivot to cut kerfs into and loosen theearth from the walls of the well, so it will fall to the bottom to bebrought to the surface by a core lifter or bailer, thereby enlarging thediameter of the well to twice the length of the saws or cutting elementsused with the machine.

The machine is more fully described and illustrated by the attacheddrawin s and specifications, in which like numera s refer to similarparts throughout.

Fig. 1 sectional view of the machine with two saws and cutter bar.

Fig. 2 plan showing side slot out by two saws and cutter bar.

Fig. 3 side view of saws and cutter bar cutting side slot.

Fig.4 detail view of cutter bar.

Fig. 5 section at 5-5 Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 detail view of saw control bracket gear Figs. 1, 2, and 3;

Fig. 7 section at 7-7 Fig. 1.

The machine primarily consists ofearth cutting chain saws or cutter bars1 operated by power means enclosed in a casing 2 adapted to be loweredinto a well by a sustaining and power conveying cable, and held forcontrolled rotary or vertical motion with respect to the walls of thewell by a fulcrum rod attached to a holding device.

Power wires 3 and control wires 4 are wound on a drum 5 positioned inthe upper part of easing 2, and operated by motor 6 through bevel gears7. To raise or lower the machine with reference to said holding deviceto which the wires 3 and 4 are attached before connecting with thesustaining cable.

Also positioned within casing 2 is a motor 8, operating gears againstfulcrum wheel 9 which is slidingly attached to fulcrum rod 10, to turnthe machine to any vertical plane for making vertical slots in side ofwell, and also to rotate the machine and cutting elements to cut ahorizontal circular kerf when making underground tanks.

Saws 1 are operated by motor 11 through hollow, shaft 12 gear 13, gear14 and shaft 15 journaled in brackets 16 attached to the bottom ofeasing 2.

Saws I hang in a vertical plane while being lowered into the well arelifted to the variouspositions for cutting into the walls of the well bycontrol bracket gear 17, a tached to the frames of the saws andjournaled on shaft 15, said control bracket gear 17 is operated by motor18 through bevel Patented Feb. 14, 1922.

either vertical or horizontal kerfs, the

bracket part of control bracket gear 17 is changed to boxing in whichthe cutter bar is journaled.

When two saws are used for making vertical slots as shown in Figs. 1, 2,and 3, the ends are held together by cutter bar 21 operated by the chainpart of saws 1 engaging toothed idler wheels 22 in place of the smoothidler Wheels generally used, the cutter bar 21 is equipped with cuttervteeth 23 of any-suitable form so it will cut a cross and connect ingkerf near the ends of the side kerfs cut by the saws 1, thereby cuttingthe material loose so it will fall down to the bottom of the well to beraised to the surface by a core lifter or bailer.

When it is desired to use only one saw for.

cutting horizontal kerfs, thereby enlarging the tank by causing thematerial below the saw to drop to the bottom of the well, a specialcontrol bracket gear is used.

'A hollow guide member 27 for fulcrum rod 10 is centrally positioned incasing 2.'

A refrigerator tank 28 with thermostat or regulator 29 is provided inmachines that work at great depths in intense heat, liquid air or anysuitable refrigeration element may be used to keep the motors cool.

Any part of a completed well may be enlarged to make an undergroundtank; in strata of suflicient hardness to hold the form desired, asfollows z- First, a machine with kerf cutting elements shown in Fig. 1hanging in a vertical plane is lowered into the well by a sustaining andpower conveying cable. To hold the machine from rotary or verticalmotion due to twist by motors or slack in the cable it is best tointerpose, between the machines and cable, a. holding device similar tothe one shown in my patent application of even date Serial No. 408,119,when the machine has reached the desired depth and the holding deviceset, power current is switched on and operates motors 11 and 18, motor11 operating the saws 1 and cutter bar 21 and motor 18 swinging them(with pivot shaft 15 as center) against the side of the well so that theearth is cut loose and drops to the bottom, thereby making a slot in theside of the well, when the saws 1 and cutter bar 21 have swung up sothat their center line lies in a horizontal plane, power isautomatically supplied to motor 6 which operates drums '5 winding upcables 3 and 4 and lifting the machine as fast as the saws 1 and cutterbar 21 cut upward, when the desired height has been cut power isautomatically cut off motor 6, and reversed in motor 18; when thecutting elements have dropped to a vertical plane, power is cut offmotor 11,

the holding device released and the machine power is automaticallysupplied to motor 8 and force exerted against fulcrum rod 10 to turn themachine and saw a circular horizontal kerf causing the material beneathit to break loose at the outer circumference and drop to the bottom ofthe well, when the machine has turned a complete circle power isautomaticall cut off motor 8 and switched to motor 6 which lifts themachine a predetermined distance with saw 1 in the slot previously out,then the power is automatically cut off motor 6 and switched back onmotor 8 and another circular kerf cut and the material dropped to thebottom of the well, the

scribed, I claim the device as new and broadly patentable.

I claim:

1. In a machine for enlarging certain parts of wells and deep holes inthe earth, the combination of kerf cuttin elements pivotally attached tothe mac inc and power means in the machine operatively connected to saidcutting elements to swing and out kerfs into the walls of the well, andloosen large portions thereof, so as to form underground tanks etc.

2. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a casingwith earth cutting chain saws pivotally attached thereto, power meansoperatively connected to said saws, power means controllingly connectedto the frames of said saws and means of operating. said saws whilecausing them to swing on said pivot and cut into the walls of a well andloosen large portions thereof, to form underground cisterns etc.

3. In a machine of the character described, the combination of kerfcutting elements pivotally attached to said machine, power meansin themachine operatively connected to said cutting elements, and power means11 and 18, when motor 18' as swung saw 1 into a horizontal plane,-

' means in the casing operatively connected to said saws, a cutter barbetween the outer ends of said saws and operated by the chain memberstherof, power means in said casing operatively connected to the framesof said saws to cause them and the cutter bar to swing (about saidpivot) against and cut a vertical slot in the wall of .a well until thesaws reach a horizontal position, power means in said casing to lift theentire machine with sawsand cutter bar while operating, therebyextending the slot upwards any desired height and cutting the earth orstone loose so it will drop to the bottom of the well to be lifted tothe surface by suitable means.

5. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a casing,earth cutting elements pivotally attached to said casing, motor means insaid casing for operating said cutting elementsto cut loose portions ofthe walls of a well for making underground excavations, a refrigeratortank in presence of intense said casing, a thermo regulated means ofconveying the refrigerator element from said tank to the aforementionedmotors to keep them cool when working in deep wells in the heat.

6.' In a machine of the character described,

the combination of a casing, earth cutting elements attached to thebottom thereof, a

hollow guide member centrally positioned in said casing, a fulcrum rod(the upper end of which is attached to a suitable holding device)slidingly positioned in said guide member, a fulcrum gear wheelslidingly attached to said fulcrum rod so as not to rotate with respectthereto, power means operatively connected to said fulcrum gear wheel,whereby the casing and attached cutting elements may be caused to rotatewith respect to the fulcrum rod to cut into the walls of the well andgreatly enlarge the same.

7. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a casingwith earth cutting elements pivotally attached thereto, hoist drumspositioned in the upper part of said casing, power and control cablesattached thereto and to a suitable sustaining and holding means above,power means for operating said hoist drums and winding the said powerand control cables thereon, thereb lifting said casing with respect tothe cable sustaining and holding means.

CLYDE S. CORRIGAN.

